Van Dijk says Nottingham Forest defeat a 'reality check' for Liverpool ahead of UCL game

After three consecutive victories in the Premier League, Liverpool's streak comes to a sudden halt following their defeat against Nottingham Forest on Sunday. The scoreline at Anfield read 0-1 for the visitors after the final whistle - as Callum Hudson-Odoi netted the winning goal - handing Arne Slot his first loss since taking over as head coach.

Captain Virgil Van Dijk had a lot to say on the team's underwhelming performance against the Tricky Trees. First of all it was a very disappointing day. The result and also most of the performance was too rushed and we lost too many second balls" he said.

"We know how direct they are so playing against a big striker you can sometimes lose a challenge and you have to be ready for the second ball and every time there was a second ball they were on the right side of it. They got momentum in terms of winning the right challenges and they did they job very well and in terms of ourselves we weren't good enough. That's the disappointing point of it," praising the opponents while also recognising Liverpool's faults.

On being asked about the potential impact of the international break the Netherlands defender said: “It's difficult for me to say [if the international break didn't help]. Everyone is coming back from different places and playing a different way but still I think even today when we were not at our best we created chances and it should have gone better. But it is a performance we are definitely not happy with, we expect a lot better from ourselves and losing at home is something that can't happen.

"Overall it was a disappointing afternoon, something we didn't want to happen but we have to turn this around and make this a sort of a reality check to be better for the rest of the season because if you want to achieve things this season the contrast between the games we played is too big. We have to turn it around pretty quickly and that will be the focus. We still tried but I think we were too rushed, we put the ball in the box a bit too quick or over played it and then you don't get the momentum you want to get," he said as he concluded his thoughts on the discouraging game.

But van Dijk is ready to turn pages and already as his sight on Tuesday's Champions League game against AC Milan. "Obviously everyone is disappointed like we all should be but we also remind ourselves that Tuesday is another big game. If you want to dwell on things it is only going to backfire on yourself. We all should be disappointed but in a couple of hours we will already be thinking about recovery and being ready for Tuesday. That's how we live our lives and that is what we have to do but the disappointment is still there."

 

September 15, 2024